Introduction

Jogar means “to play”, and this page covers exactly one thing: jogar in the present tense. The present is the tense Portuguese speakers reach for when they talk about what happens regularly, what is true in general, and what is happening right now. On this page you will find the full present table for jogar, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the pretérito perfeito, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about jogar in the present. It means to play a game or a sport, and it is regular apart from its spelling: the -gar stem keeps its hard g by writing gu before e and i, so the pretérito perfeito eu form is joguei. The present is jogo, jogas, joga, and the participle is jogado. It is the verb for football, cards and every other game. For example: “Ele joga futebol todos os dias.” — “He plays football.” Everything on this page uses the forms of jogar exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Jogar in the Present — full table

Person Form
eu jogo
tu jogas
ele/ela joga
nós jogamos
vós jogais
eles/elas jogam
Gerund: jogando · Past participle: jogado
The gerund is jogando, which you use with estar to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Jogando futebol, aprendo muito.” — “While playing football, I learn a lot.” The past participle is jogado, which you use with ter in the perfect tenses: tenho jogado is the pretérito perfeito composto, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how jogar is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for jogar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the present of jogar is formed

The present tense of jogar has six forms: eu jogo, tu jogas, ele joga, nós jogamos, vós jogais, eles jogam. Say them in order — eu, tu, ele, nós, vós, eles — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. jogar is regular: every form follows the standard -ar endings — -o, -as, -a, -amos, -ais, -am for -ar verbs; -o, -es, -e, -emos, -eis, -em for -er verbs; and -o, -es, -e, -imos, -is, -em for -ir verbs — so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem. There are no surprises in any tense — the tables below are exactly what the endings predict. The present is the tense you will use most, so learn these six forms before you learn any other tense of this verb. Because the stem keeps its hard sound by writing qu or gu before e and i, the eu form is jogo and the subjunctive eu form is jogue.

Two things about the present of jogar are worth noticing. First, the nós and vós forms are the anchor of the verb: the imperfect is built from the same stem, and the present subjunctive takes its nós and vós forms from the same stem, so learning jogamos and jogais pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense Portuguese uses where English would often use the continuous form, so jogo can mean both “I play” and “I am playing” — context tells the listener which one you mean.

Because jogar is regular in the present, the six forms follow the standard -ar endings exactly. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ar verb, you know it for all of them — only the stem changes. That is why the present of a regular verb is the cheapest tense to learn in the whole language.

When to use the present of jogar

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use jogar in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. Habits and routines

The present tense is the tense of routine. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the natural choice, and jogar is no exception. Use time expressions such as todos os dias, sempre or todas as semanas to make the routine explicit. Example: “Eu jogo futebol todos os dias.” — “I play football.”

2. General truths

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. A fact about jogar does not need a time expression, because it is true whenever you say it. Example: “Ele joga futebol todos os dias.” — “He plays football.”

3. What is happening right now

The present also describes an action in progress at this very moment. Portuguese often prefers the simple present where English would use the continuous form, so a sentence with jogar in the present can mean both “I do this” and “I am doing this now”. Context tells the listener which one you mean. Example: “Nós jogamos futebol todos os dias.” — “We play football.”

4. Scheduled future events

Portuguese uses the present for something already fixed in the near future, especially with a time expression. It sounds more certain than the future tense, because the plan is already made. Example: “Tu jogas futebol todos os dias.” — “You play football.”

5. Narration and commentary

In stories, instructions and live commentary, the present brings the action into the room. A recipe, a game or a story told in the present feels immediate, and jogar in the present is the tense that carries it. Example: “Eles jogam futebol todos os dias.” — “They play football.”

Present Tense vs Pretérito Perfeito: how to choose

The closest tense to the present is the pretérito perfeito, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, general truths and what is happening now, while the pretérito perfeito describes one finished action in the past. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the time frame — and with it, the tense. Notice how the present sentences use words such as todos os dias or sempre, while the pretérito perfeito sentences use ontem or na semana passada. Those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.

  • Present Tense: “Ele joga futebol todos os dias.” — “He plays football”
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Ele jogou futebol ontem.” — “He played football”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the pretérito perfeito sentence is one finished event. Todos os dias points to the present, ontem points to the pretérito perfeito.
  • Present Tense: “Eu jogo futebol todos os dias.” — “I play football”
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Eu joguei futebol ontem.” — “I played football”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the pretérito perfeito sentence is one finished event. Todos os dias points to the present, ontem points to the pretérito perfeito.
  • Present Tense: “Tu jogas futebol todos os dias.” — “You play football”
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Tu jogaste futebol ontem.” — “You played football”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the pretérito perfeito sentence is one finished event. Todos os dias points to the present, ontem points to the pretérito perfeito.

Example sentences: jogar in the present

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions and the objects — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Eu jogo futebol todos os dias.” — “I play football”
  2. “Tu jogas futebol todos os dias.” — “You play football”
  3. “Ele joga futebol todos os dias.” — “He plays football”
  4. “Nós jogamos futebol todos os dias.” — “We play football”
  5. “Vós jogais futebol todos os dias.” — “You play football”
  6. “Eles jogam futebol todos os dias.” — “They play football”
  7. “Eu jogo futebol todos os dias.” — “I play football”
  8. “Ele joga futebol todos os dias.” — “He plays football”

Common mistakes

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Eu jogas futebol.” Right: “Eu jogo futebol todos os dias.” Why: The eu form is jogo, not jogas. jogas is the tu form. Mixing the two persons is the most common error with this verb.
  • Wrong: “Nós jogo futebol.” Right: “Nós jogamos futebol todos os dias.” Why: Nós needs the nós form jogamos. jogo belongs with eu only. Learn the six forms as two groups — singular and plural — and the pattern becomes automatic.
  • Wrong: “Eu jogo futebol todos os dias ontem.” Right: “Eu joguei futebol ontem.” Why: Ontem points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the pretérito perfeito joguei for a finished action yesterday.
  • Wrong: “Eu jogar futebol.” Right: “Eu jogo futebol todos os dias.” Why: The infinitive jogar never takes a subject. After eu you need the conjugated form jogo.

Quiz: test yourself

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

  1. What is the eu form of jogar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) jogas
    • B) jogo
    • C) joga
    • D) jogamos

  2. What is the tu form of jogar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) jogo
    • B) joga
    • C) jogas
    • D) jogamos

  3. What is the ele/ela form of jogar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) jogo
    • B) jogas
    • C) jogamos
    • D) joga

  4. What is the nós form of jogar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) jogamos
    • B) jogo
    • C) jogas
    • D) joga

  5. What is the vós form of jogar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) jogo
    • B) jogais
    • C) jogas
    • D) joga

  6. What is the eles/elas form of jogar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) jogo
    • B) jogas
    • C) jogam
    • D) joga

  7. What is the eu form of jogar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) jogas
    • B) joga
    • C) jogamos
    • D) jogo

  8. What is the tu form of jogar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) jogas
    • B) jogo
    • C) joga
    • D) jogamos

Answer key

  1. B) jogo — the correct form is jogo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) jogas — the correct form is jogas. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) joga — the correct form is joga. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) jogamos — the correct form is jogamos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) jogais — the correct form is jogais. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) jogam — the correct form is jogam. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) jogo — the correct form is jogo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) jogas — the correct form is jogas. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does jogar mean in English?

jogar means “to play”. It is a regular -ar verb.

How is the present tense of jogar formed?

The six present forms are: eu jogo, tu jogas, ele joga, nós jogamos, vós jogais, eles jogam. jogar is regular: every form follows the standard -ar endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem.

When do I use the present instead of the pretérito perfeito?

Use the present for habits, general truths and what is happening now. Use the pretérito perfeito for one finished action in the past. The time words are your best clue: todos os dias points to the present, ontem points to the pretérito perfeito.

What are the gerund and past participle of jogar?

The gerund is jogando and the past participle is jogado.

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